Emma García Alvarez, VP international sales, Mediacrest

With recent content agreements in new territories like NHK in Japan and Glaz in Brazil, Mediacrest proves to be a versatile partner with focus in coproduction, and with the capacity of both creating formats from scratch and adapting successful formats to the Spanish market.

What is your vision of today’s current international content market?

There is appetite for fresh, original formats and good fiction stories that can organically bring different companies and countries to work together. We can all see that in the last few years there has been an increase of international co-productions, that will probably continue increasing while the platforms keep reducing their original commissions. The projects and formats we bring to the market are selected for their international appeal, and universal interest.

What relevant content agreements has Mediacrest inked recently?

Mediacrest does not only create its own formats, we also work with renowned international companies to adapt successful formats to the Spanish market. We have recently closed a deal with Talpa for the production in Spain of their recent global success The Floor for Atresmedia. We have an ongoing deal with ITV Studios to produce The Chase, successfully running its 11th season in RTVE, and Beat the Chasers.

Regarding our paper formats, we have recently closed an option deal for our paper format Who is my human, with our German partner Brott and Butter Entertainment. Meanwhile, in the fiction and documentary areas we have recently signed an option deal for our paper fiction format Life, with Blink49, one of Fifht Season´s (Endeavor) production companies, a coproduction deal with Glaz (Brazil) for our project 17kHz, and in Italy with Fandango, for the production of an international documentary.

How important coproduction is for the company?Coproduction and the creation of content -fiction and entertainment- that can resonate outside of Spain has been in the core of our business since Mediacrest was created. Our in-house creative teams have large experience and proven successes in creating content recognized internationally. At the moment, 17kHz is our hottest coproduction.

What is your vision of current trends in the international distribution market?

We can see that the streaming wars, and the platforms’ need to increase their subscription bases while cutting down the costs is leading to a period of fear of the unknown: few want to take risks, and so they rely on well-known IPs or stories that “guarantee” a whole bunch of followers will subscribe.

Also, non-scripted content is relying on well-known IPs or true stories (true crime remains king). The same reluctance to take risks is leading broadcasters to produce new versions of their glories form the past. But I believe this will backlash when people get tired of the umpteenth true crime, influencer´s life or classic up to date adaptation.

What are your main territories and markets?

Europe and Latam are our primary natural territories, where we have most contacts and partners. But the world is shrinking, and the international markets allow us to work with partners from all over. Our deal with NHK, in Japan, proves it.

Emma García Alvarez, VP international sales, Mediacrest

With recent content agreements in new territories like NHK in Japan and Glaz in Brazil, Mediacrest proves to be a versatile partner with focus in coproduction, and with the capacity of both creating formats from scratch and adapting successful formats to the Spanish market.

What is your vision of today’s current international content market?

There is appetite for fresh, original formats and good fiction stories that can organically bring different companies and countries to work together. We can all see that in the last few years there has been an increase of international co-productions, that will probably continue increasing while the platforms keep reducing their original commissions. The projects and formats we bring to the market are selected for their international appeal, and universal interest.
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